Penn State plans to do that during Saturday’s game against Temple.
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But after the first of three videos, played during a break in the second quarter, Temple supporters sitting in the upper deck at Beaver Stadium turned their backs to the field in protest of the choice to honor Paterno.
Other fans had a decidedly different reaction, including the Temple contingent in attendance.
The Nittany Lions were without six defensive starters by the end of the first quarter, as linebackers Brandon Bell and Jason Cabinda did not dress out for the game (Bell was on crutches and Cabinda’s hand was in a soft cast), nor did defensive back Grant Haley or defensive end Evan Scwhan (also on crutches).
In Week 3, the Nittany Lions aim to spring sophomore running back Saquon Barkley, who has five touchdowns but just 190 yards rushing through the first two games of the season against Pitt and Kent State respectively.
Prominent former players have led the defense of their coach, whose career included 409 victories, the most in college football history.
He and fellow Penn State star Lydell Mitchell stood at the site where a statue of Paterno was removed by the university shortly after the scandal broke and talked with fans before Saturday’s game. This is no surprise, considering the reaction those outside the Penn State bubble had when they learned earlier this month the school had planned to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first game Paterno coached and on September 17, 1966.
“We are all Penn Staters and Penn State will always be bigger than any controversy bigger than any athletic team and bigger than any strife that you might have”, Caravella said. In order to get there, Penn State must first address an issue that has plagued the Nittany Lions throughout the first two weeks of the season – getting out to a strong start early in the game.
That all happened, and when you factor in how much money Paterno filtered into the college, the football program and the community, how many jobs his success created and how many families lived and worked because of the empire he helped build, that has to mean something to the folks at Penn State.
That protester, Robert Hoatson, said he drove from New Jersey and had protested at Penn State before.
It remains unclear exactly how much Paterno knew about the sexual assaults and whether he tried to protect Sandusky, who was found guilty of 45 charges and is serving at least a 30-year prison sentence. The university’s president, Eric Barron, has said the allegation was not substantiated in court or tested by any other process. Paterno never was charged with a crime.
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Paterno’s widow Sue Paterno said in a statement that Friday’s reunion was to honor the achievements of the players.
